Veteran tight end Jacob Tamme announced his retirement Thursday at the age of 32 after nine NFL seasons.
He shared the announcement on his Twitter page with a lengthy thank you letter:
Tamme spent the previous two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, but he played in only eight games during the 2016 campaign, as shoulder surgery landed him on injured reserve.
Prior to being placed on IR, Tamme had 22 receptions for 210 yards and three touchdowns as part of the NFL's No. 1 offense led by

Veteran tight end Jacob Tamme announced his retirement Thursdayat the age of 32after nine NFL seasons.

He shared the announcement on his Twitter page with a lengthy thank you letter:

Jacob Tamme @JacobTamme

Seems a fitting day for one big extra-lengthy Thank You. (1-4 of 7) https://t.co/g6EvjMZKCy

Tamme spent the previous two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, but he played in only eight games during the 2016 campaign, as shoulder surgery landed him on injured reserve.

Prior to being placed on IR, Tamme had 22 receptions for 210 yards and three touchdowns as part of the NFL's No. 1 offense led by quarterback Matt Ryan.

The previous year was one of his best in the NFL, as he reeled in 59 catches for a career-high 657 yards along with one touchdown, making him Atlanta's No. 2 receiver in terms of yardage behind only Julio Jones.

Tamme's role was somewhat diminished during the first half of 2016 due to the additions of Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel at wide receiver, as well as rookie tight end Austin Hooper.

He remained a reliable safety valve for Ryan, but the offense didn't seem to miss a beat after he went down.

Hooper emerged as a contributor with Tamme on the shelf, while Levine Toilolo also became a downfield threat at tight end by averaging over 20 yards per reception.

Tamme was set to hit free agency, and Atlanta likely could have brought him back at an affordable price, but with the by-committee approach of Hooper and Toilolo serving the team well, there wasn't much reason to do so.

Since getting selected in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft out of Kentucky, Tamme has provided quality depth at tight end during all of his stops in the league.

He followed quarterback Peyton Manning from Indy to the Denver Broncos before ending up with the Falcons and finished his career with totals of 259 catches for 2,570 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Tamme never approached Pro Bowl levels of production and was unable to establish himself as a full-time starter, but he was a sure-handed pass-catcher and carved out a niche everywhere he went.